Last week a publisher asked me to post a proposed cover for A Twist of Grimm, a collection of gay fairy tales, to get your opinion on whether you would buy a book with that cover. Many of you who commented on the post, linked here, hated it.
The publisher listened to your critiques and came up with an alternative cover that is on the left. I would appreciate it if the same critics who commented on the previous version would take a look at this cover and give their thumbs up or thumbs down. Others can comment if they wish – the more the merrier.
As mentioned before, the publisher will award a free a copy of the book to a reader who left a comment, when A Twist of Grimm is published in the summer.
Thanks everyone.
Hi Wave,
I think this is more appealing that than the first cover – certainly a better match to the genre, but I don’t get any sort of fairy tale feeling from it. It looks like a book about a post apocalyptic earth (which I would read). I immediately though of Mel Gibson in Mad Max.
Although the first cover didn’t work for me, it gave a completely different feel -light and fun, with some M/M romance thrown in.
If this is a collection of darker twists on Grimm or even if it’s playing up the scarier bits than the originals, then this makes sense. If the stories are more M/M romance, then I’m afraid this misses the mark for me. It’s a good cover although I’m not sure what the publisher is trying to say about fairy tales with it.
I like this one much better, but I do like steampunk. Other people might not find it as appealing.
I love this cover – I’d definitely have a look at a book with that on! I then popped over to the first cover (which I hadn’t seen before) and you’re right – it’s APPALLING!!! Who ever came up with that??!? Thank goodness for the 2nd option.
Axxx
Yikes! I missed the first cover art post – I’m afraid I agree with the consensus concerning that one.
I like this new one – the subtle colours and the attractive guy with the interesting outfit really work for me – but there are some aspects I’m uncertain of. Is the anthology about fairytales, or steampunk? And the production-line nude men are a little creepy.
But I certainly wouldn’t be embarrassed to be found reading a book with this cover, which sadly I can’t say for the first! 😀
I went back to see the first cover (because somehow I missed it) and this one is definitely better. As TJ said, it really depends on what the stories are like. But, because we don’t know that – we can’t know how appropriate the cover is. However, based only on the cover – this one works for me. I like the colors, it has an adult feel to it, clothes somewhat convey fairy tale theme. Definitely an improvement. ^^
Why does he looks so grim?
Much better cover. – Replace the two naked “robots” with a picture of “Castle Neuschwanstein in the dark” and it`s perfect. 🙂
I need stronger glasses.
There is a picture of a castle at the upper left side.
The “robots” need another replacement:)
Found it ! 🙂
http://diekleidermacher.de/bilder/froschkoenig_kleidermacher_schuebel.jpg
Simsala
There’s a castle in the background but maybe it’s too tark to see.
I like this one better than the first, even though it has more of a steampunk feel than a fairytale feel. Not sure what the guys in the background are really adding…
Yeah, maybe the castle as Simsala suggested but I like it and I would definitely stop and see what it was all about.
I like this one much better.
I missed the first post as well, but yeah, the original cover art was just… no. No. This? I’d pick up off the shelf in a heartbeat. Though I have to admit I’d pick it up as much for the title as for the artwork. More so, really, because the title tells me what it’s about and THAT is what I want to know about a book. But damn, this cover really is nice. I like the combination of sensual and sinister. Which, when you think about it, kind of gets to the meat of the original Grimm’s fairy tales, doesn’t it? Especially the “sinister” part O_O
This is more like it. A modern looking cover, I favour them much more anyway. There is place for the title and author.
I have to agree that the man in leathers looks more steampunk then medieval, I guess is the sort of diving glasses that are hanging around his neck that makes it that way. Also I like the fact that the cover is rather dark just like the Grimm fairy tales. I would like to see the castle more prominently though, maybe in stead of the two naked guys.
I assume the publisher is an m/m publisher so there is no need to put them on the cover. The readers will know it is m/m (gay) anyway also because of the sub title.
I wasn’t here to comment on the first cover but I think this version is clearly more in keeping with my recollection of the tone of most Grimm fairy tales. I’d definitely take a look at this one if I saw it in a bookstore whether physical or online.
I like this cover much better than the first one, but I don’t like “Erotic Fairy Tales for Gay Men.” We already have this stupid divide (in some people’s minds) about straight women/gay men authors and who reads what…let’s not perpetuate that with more of the same sort of nonsense in a tag line. I’d suggest changing it to “Gay Erotic Fairy Tales.”
Like others have said, I am not so sure about the robot-y guys in the corner because they don’t really suggest fairy tale, but I could live with them, if this is the final design.
L
Very steampunky, but that doesn’t really evoke “Fairy Tales” for me. I like steampunk, so I’m not complaining about that, but I’m not sure if it sends the message the publisher is wanting to send.
Get rid of the naked guys in the upper right hand corner. Just get rid of them. Not every piece of gay fiction needs a naked man on it. In fact, I am more interested in a book if they have an attractive, well illustrated cover, than if they have a naked torso on the front.
I also agree very strongly with Leslie about the the use of “for gay men” in the tag line. The worst thing you can do is alienate any part of your perspective audience. Even if the publisher believes that only gay men will be interested in these stories, there are many straight (and bisexual) women who read m/m exclusively, and will be put off by being told that the book is not for them.
I agree with you and Leslie.
The “target” of the book are apparently gay men but the publisher asks “us” about our opinion of the cover? Funny…
The cover is very cool and steampunkish. I just don’t really see it as being the cover for a set of ‘fairy tales.’ Not sure this is a good fit.
Oh, this I would pick up. Maybe it’s steampunk–which is cool–and now I want to know which fairytales are in it. I like the darker side of those and this cover makes me think that’s what I’ll get. The line at the bottom made me frown, though. “For Gay Men” instantly made me think I wasn’t allowed to read it. Of course, that just means I will anyway…
This cover does grab me, although I wouldn’t really connect it with fairy tales – there’s a bit of a steampunk vibe, but then it depends on the content – are they along the lines of traditional fairy tales, or not…
I don’t know how well this would stand out from other covers. And it does depend on how dark the content of the stories is…
I think it’s probably right to say I’m a bit ambivalent about this cover, although it is rather nice.
I agree this one is much better, the tagline should be changed, the naked guys in the corner need to go, and the guy looks steampunky. Grimm’s fairy tales were rather…grim…so the darker cast to the cover seems apropos. The title and cover are now a much better ‘fit’ for each other, and I’d be drawn to check it out.
I’ve got to agree with the previous posts – this is a huge improvement, and definitely the sort of cover that draws my eye. Yes, it does look very steampunk at the moment (and the naked guys can go, as can the “for gay men” line), but that may not be a problem if these are reworkings of fairy tales in different settings.
Maybe having a second man clad in more traditional clothing behind/next to the first one would help matters. He could even be holding that bierstein… but no weird guy clinging onto his legs, please!
I like this cover much better and would be way more inclined to pick up this book and give it a read. However, I don’t particularly care for the shirtless men in the back. I guess it’s necessary to emphasize “erotic,” but I think having an illustration/photo showing a fairy tale there might be a better use of the space. Depending on which fairy tales are included in the anthology, I’d put some kind of man+nature image of plant or animal, maybe a man with a swan or a rose?
I disliked the first cover and this one is not much better. The cover is much to dark and depressing. Just putting two naked men in the back does not make an erotic cover. Finally the boy/man on the cover is more a face from a member of the pop group Tokyo Hotel than a hero from an erotic novel. Quite frankly I do not understand what the publisher is trying to achieve. Ok, he wants to sell a story that he believes in (I hope so) but…please do your home work and do some research into straight and gay covers of historical novels, paranormal novels,… which are strong and modern with hot men and not some stock photo from a photo library.
Mirko, considering how many titles Lethe has published, I think I’ve done a bit of “homework” with gay titles. It’s very tough to find an apt cover for a book that is both fantastical and erotic. If you think you can do better…
Still pretty busy. Give a cute guy in a medieval tunic a beanstalk to hold with both hands and lean against, and maybe a raven giving him the beady eye from the upper right. You can get the gay, fairytale, and erotic message across with a lot less than this. And please don’t use the title to tell me I’m only welcome to buy the book if I pretend a y chromosome — I buy a lot of books.
I was one of the ones who didn’t like the first cover. This one is much better. The goggles give it a steampunk look, but that’s okay. I’m always going to like a photo-realistic cover better than a stylized drawing, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. 😉
After seeing the original cover design and comparing it to this one, the new cover gives the impression that the publisher is taking this compilation of stories seriously and putting their best effort out to stand behind the product. I would feel confident in assuming that this book is being professionally produced and that I’m not going to be slogging through spelling and grammar mistakes when I read it.
I really like the steampunk feel to this cover, and the old west flavour from the font on the book title. Those things combined with the more sophisticated imagery and colour choices, and the clever title, give me the impression that the stories will be darker, more sensual and that they’ll take the fairy tale genre down new and interesting paths.
I’ll mention that I don’t usually buy erotica, but I’d make an exception for this book. The cover indicates that the erotica will engage my brain and imagination, instead of just going for cheap thrills.
I haven’t gotten on the e-book bandwagon, but if this book is coming out in print, I’ll absolutely be buying it.
Much better! I agree with the above that the tagline should be changed to Gay Erotic Fairytales. Also, get rid of the naked male torsoes in the upper right. The number of books I’ve passed over because of the steriotypical male torso is staggering.
Perhaps the castle can be made more prominant to further evoke the fairytale theme. The previous cover was a bunch of elements of the classic fairytales, perhaps an element needs to be borrowed. A raven, owl, spinning wheel with whisps of magic being spun out of it and entangling either the castle or something else. Either way, remember, you can’t please everyone. And I am looking foward to this book! ^-^
According to Bert of ASP Wholesale, any gay erotica cover that lacks a naked torso fails to sell to gay bookstores.
According to this site,any gay erotica cover that shows a naked torso fails to sell to women.We`re the majority.:)
( We´re speaking about selling)
You’re not the majority of Lethe Press readers:
a) Lethe Press does a lot of business with gay bookstores. Straight women do not buy books there.
b) ISO book club told me that they rarely buy gay male-oriented books written by women because their male members don’t like them.
c) at conferences like Saints & Sinners, the number of women who attend vs. gay men is a tiny fraction,
d) we have several books on the bestsellers list of TLA; I doubt many are bought by women.
Why would a gay-owned and operated press want to change their target readership away from gay men?
Sorry. If women buy our books, great, but I’m aiming to win the hearts and cockles of gay men first and foremost. And some Lammies.
I saw the original cover, and thought it looked like some kindergarten group project. This one is much, much better!
In contrast to many others who wrote in this post, I don’t mind the naked torsos. This is about “gay-twisted” fairytales, isn’t it? The nudies look a bit fairytale-like to me.
I like the wicked eye of this leather-clad guy. Mischievous, like many of the original Grimm heroes. Granted, although I don’t like adapted fairytales (not even if they’re adapted to be gay erotica), if I came across this book, I’d pick it and have a closer look for the cover alone.
Note/ Niggle: the subtitle. Why don’t they simply put it “Erotic Fairy Tales OF gay men”? All offense for the (straight) female readership remedied, and very similar meaning.
Guys
I think Steve has a lot to work with now that you have given him your opinions. Based on your comments this definitely seems to be a better cover than the last one, and if he wants to make a few minor modifications then it’s up to him.
Thanks for commenting everyone. Your input and time are appreciated.